Newsmakers

Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle News Services

Published
5:30 am CDT, Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Springsteen is No. 1, Zagat says

Bruce Springsteen is indeed the boss, beating the Beatles and all others for making the most popular album of all time, according to Zagat Survey's Music Guide, which hit stores Tuesday. Zagat's new 332-page guide lists the top 1,000 albums of all time, according to ratings from more than 10,500 music experts. Topping the guide's most popular list is Springsteen's Born to Run, with the Beatles' Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band taking second and third places, respectively. Rounding out the Top 10 were U2's The Joshua Tree, the Beatles' The White Album, Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town, The Beatles' Revolver, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and U2's Achtung Baby.

Ben, J. Lo back at courthouse

Just weeks after they called off their wedding, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez popped into the courthouse of a tiny Georgia town on Monday. But they did not get married. Instead, Affleck was there to apparently apply for a gun permit, said Don Martin, the county sheriff for Hinesville, Ga., which is near Affleck's Hampton Island home. However, J.Lo's publicist told ABC radio on Tuesday that the two are "working things out" and may still get married.

Magician considers giving up

Magician David Blaine is reportedly considering abandoning his starvation-in-clear-plastic-box stunt amid fears about his image, his safety and the viciousness of the London crowds, reports IMDB.com. The 30-year-old American is ensconced in a box above the city's Thames River, where he is attempting to live for 44 days without food. But Blaine's box has been pelted with eggs and food, been attacked by remote control helicopters and had golf balls pelted at it since he entered it 17 days ago. "It has got to the stage of, `Do we just get him the hell out of there?' " said a source at Blaine's PMK management in New York.

Isn't Lima in Peru?

Remember that Southwest Airlines "Wanna get away?" commercial where some poor singer ends a triumphant concert by shouting "Thank you, Detroit!" only to learn, from the crowd's stunned silence, that Detroit was last night? Well, Alanis Morissette must not have seen it. The singer recently shocked fans when she ended her first gig in Peru by shouting: "Thank you, Brazil!" reports Ananova.com. Morissette made the mistake in front of 14,000 people at the Monumental Stadium in Lima.

Kelsey might toss hat in ring

The star of Frasier may be ready to move from radio psychology to politics. Kelsey Grammer might be interested in running for the U.S. Senate from California when he's finished with acting, he said Monday on Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes. Grammer, 48, kept his political views vague during his appearance. "I would like to try to rid the country of the idea that it's the rich against the poor," he said.